Press Release

Bank of the West’s CIO Kirsten Garen Honored as One of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business
SAN FRANCISCO, California | May 04, 2015

Bank of the West today announced that its Chief Information Officer, Kirsten Garen, was recognized as one of the “Bay Area’s Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business of 2015” by the San Francisco Business Times. To honor the women who made the list, the publication will host its annual recognition event on June 4, 2015. Garen also received the San Francisco Business Times top honor of “CIO of the Year” in 2014.

Since joining Bank of the West as Chief Information Officer in 2011, Garen led the transformation of the Bank’s enterprise technology capabilities, which allows for more effective delivery of the bank’s customer-focused strategies. The expansion of these capabilities has resulted in the Bank being more responsive to the ever-growing, fast-paced changes needed to meet and exceed customer satisfaction.

“Under Kirsten’s leadership, we are able to better anticipate our customers’ needs and offer faster turn-key solutions, which allow our customers to interact with Bank of the West based on their preferences,” said Michael Shepherd, chairman and CEO of Bank of the West. “Kirsten and her team play a significant role in the innovative approaches we’ve been able to deliver in recent years.”

“This recognition is truly an honor and one that I share with my entire team. Without the team’s ingenuity, drive and hard work, the significant achievements that we’ve made in the past few years would not be possible,” said Garen.

Finalists were selected by a panel of judges based on their accomplishments and involvement in the community through a nomination process.

About Bank of the West:
Bank of the West is a regional financial services company chartered in California and headquartered in San Francisco with $71.7 billion in assets. Founded in 1874, Bank of the West provides a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services through more than 600 offices in 22 states and digital channels. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 75 countries with 185,000 employees.

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